Apple Launches Free Resources To Get Primary Kids Coding

Apple has unveiled a new activity guide called Everyone Can Code Early Learners to help teachers introduce their youngest students to the world of coding. Available to download for free, the guide uses Apple’s open-source programming language, Swift. It combines online and offline learning in subjects including science, art, music and physical education to cover core coding concepts.

“Learning the fundamentals of coding at a young age helps students listen, communicate, and think in new ways - and it improves students’ confidence,”

Dance moves, for example, are used to explain a lesson on coding commands. It widens the reach of Apple’s current coding curriculum as well as bringing the Swift Playgrounds App to a younger audience.

“Learning the fundamentals of coding at a young age helps students listen, communicate, and think in new ways - and it improves students’ confidence,” said Leticia Batista, Ed.D., a dual-language kindergarten teacher at McKinna Elementary School in Oxnard, California.

“Code brings students onto equal ground, no matter what language they speak at home, and helps build a strong community of problem solvers.”

The guide is initially being launched in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish, but additional languages will follow.

Apple has also announced a new one-hour Inclusive App Design activity, which, it says, will allow “students to identify problems they care about and then plan, prototype, and code creative solutions”. This is available now in the Apple Teacher Learning Center.

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Written by: Katie Scott